Chile From the Andes to the Pacific
This program will not run in the summer of 2013.
Please click here to learn about our other programs in Chile. Contact our admissions staff
if you are interested in applying to any of our programs.
Orientation in Santiago
Your introduction to Chilean culture takes you from Chile’s capital city to Chilean country towns surrounded by the magnificent Andes. In Santiago, practice your Spanish skills as you navigate the capital, visit the presidential palace, and feel the energy and vibrancy of Chile’s largest city. Then, spend time exploring vibrant markets, interviewing local residents, sampling regional foods, and walking through colonial plazas in the historic country towns of San Felipe or Los Andes.
Homestay in Rancagua
Journey south to a small city surrounded by the snow-capped Andes to begin your two-week homestay. As you cook empanadas with your host family, attend soccer matches, and meet extended family in nearby towns, you connect deeply with Chilean culture.
Sample activities:
Visit an alpaca farm; participate in Spanish language classes; attend a professional soccer match; shop in local malls with host siblings; tour a local copper mine; hike in the foothills of the Andes.
Community Service
Throughout the homestay, you and your group work with the local nonprofit organization Hogar de Cristo on a meaningful community service project that combines small-scale construction and social service.
Sample projects:
Repaint a homeless shelter; repair and refurbish facilities at a local school or community center; work at a home for disadvantaged children.
Eco-Adventure, Mapuche Culture and Travel
Voyage deep into the Southern Hemisphere for an unforgettable 10-day exploration through Araucanía and Northern Patagonia, some of Chile’s most beautiful and culturally diverse regions. Surrounded by crystal lakes, ancient forests, dormant volcanoes, and massive glaciers, you and your group visit Temuco, Valdivia, and Chiloé Island while learning about the rich culture of the indigenous Mapuche. You also work closely with Chileans on an important service project designed by local communities.
Sample activities:
Learn about Mapuche culture by sharing with indigenous people in their traditional rukas; bargain with vendors at the vibrant Feria Libre market; boat down the Calle-Calle River; take a ferry across the Chacao
Channel to the wooded island of Chiloé and ride horseback on remote beaches; take in the majestic panoramas across the Golfo de Ancud.
